Let me put it in perspective, you have a road bike, you love riding it on regularly, but you feel numbness while riding. It’s a common phenomenon, pro-riders will have the same experience; however, they ride longer, faster and on all sorts of surfaces.
Let me again share what effect our riding experience. The first one is the road– yes a smooth road will create less vibration; secondly, the tire– the contact point to the road surface, thirdly, our hand contact point on the handlebar. We might not have control over the road conditions since we keep exploring new places, but our riding what we can control is having the best quality tire with good bounce on an uneven surface and high-quality bar tape.
Some of you might say carbon frames or handlebars absorb the vibration, however, that expensive upgrade once you bought a bike. Therefore, the options we have are tires and bar tape.
I recommend good quality bar tape that reduces the transmission of road vibrations and provides a solid grip to us. A good bar tape will reduce the overall impact on your hand on long-distance rides or quick sprints.
So how to choose the right bar tape for your cycle? Being a design and look freak is cool, but that is not the only utility of handle tape. You could see these points on the bar tape irrespective of prices- it is gel bar tape or foam tape? Read the reviews of users across the world about the brand. Understand bar tape has enough life duration (don’t forget- each bar tape won’t remain the same after usages of the specific period).
If your existing bar tape has helped you during the difficult rides, you can go for it. In case you want to explore more, choose wisely.